Influence of Incomplete Soil Plugs on Bearing Capacities of Bucket Foundations in Clay

Due to the uneven seabed and heaving of soil during pumping,incomplete soil plugs may occur during the installation of bucket foundations,and the impacts on the bearing capacities of bucket foundations need to be evaluated.In this paper,the contact ratio(the ratio of the top diameter of the soil plug to the diameter of the bucket)and the soil plug ratio(the ratio of the soil heave height to the skirt height)are defined to describe the shape and size of the incomplete soil plug.Then,finite element models are established to investigate the bearing capacities of bucket foundations with incomplete soil plugs and the influences of the contact ratios,and the soil plug ratios on the bearing capacities are analyzed.The results show that the vertical bearing capacity of bucket foundations in homogeneous soil continuously improves with the increase of the contact ratio.However,in normally consolidated soil,the vertical bearing capacity barely changes when the contact ratio is smaller than 0.75,while the bearing capacity suddenly increases when the contact ratio increases to 1 due to the change of failure mode.The contact ratio hardly affects the horizontal bearing capacity of bucket foundations.Moreover,the moment bearing capacity improves with the increase of the contact ratio for small aspect ratios,but hardly varies with increasing contact ratio for aspect ratios larger than 0.5.Consequently,the reduction coefficient method is proposed based on this analysis to calculate the bearing capacities of bucket foundations considering the influence of incomplete soil plugs.The comparison results show that the proposed reduction coefficient method can be used to evaluate the influences of incomplete soil plug on the bearing capacities of bucket foundations.

The primary influence of shear band evolution on the slope bearing capacity

Slope bearing capacity is one of the most important characteristics in slope engineering and is strongly influenced by weak planes,loading conditions,and slope geometry.By presenting the evolution of slip surfaces,this paper explored how the slope bearing capacity is affected by widely observed influencing factors.The initiation and propagation of slip surfaces are presented in laboratory model tests of slope using the transparent soil technique.Shear band evolution under various weak planes,loading conditions,and slope geometries were experimentally presented,and slope bearing capacities were analyzed with the process of shear band evolution.This paper verified that slip surface morphologies have a strong relation with the slope bearing capacity.The same slip surface morphology can have different evolutionary processes.In this case,it is the shear band evolution that determines the slope bearing capacity,not the morphology of the slip surface.The influencing factors such as pre-existing weak planes,loading conditions,and slope geometry strongly affect the slope bearing capacity as these factors govern the process of shear band evolution inside the slope.

Seismic stability of reinforced soil walls under bearing capacity failure by pseudo-dynamic method

In order to evaluate the seismic stability of reinforced soil walls against bearing capacity failure,the seismic safety factor of reinforced soil walls was determined by using pseudo-dynamic method,and calculated by considering different parameters,such as horizontal and vertical seismic acceleration coefficients,ratio of reinforcement length to wall height,back fill friction angle,foundation soil friction angle,soil reinforcement interface friction angle and surcharge.The parametric study shows that the seismic safety factor increases by 24-fold when the foundation soil friction angle varies from 25°to 45°,and increases by 2-fold when the soil reinforcement interface friction angle varies from 0 to 30°.That is to say,the bigger values the foundation soil and/or soil reinforcement interface friction angles have,the safer the reinforced soil walls become in the seismic design.The results were also compared with those obtained from pseudo-static method.It is found that there is a higher value of the safety factor by the present work.

Finite element analysis of effect of soil displacement on bearing capacity of single friction pile

Effect of soil displacement on friction single pile in the cases of tunneling,surcharge load and uniform soil movement was discussed in details with finite element method.Lateral displacement of the pile caused by soil displacement reached about 90% of the total displacement,which means that P-Δ effect of axial load can be neglected.The maximum moment of pile decreased from 159 kN·m to 133 kN·m in the case of surcharge load when the axial load increased from 0 to the ultimate load.When deformation of pile caused by soil displacement is large,axial load applied on pile-head plays the role of reducing the maximum bending moment in concrete pile to some extent.When pile is on one side of the tunnel,soil displacements around the pile are all alike,which means that the soil pressures around the pile do not decrease during tunneling.Therefore,Q-s curve of the pile affected by tunneling is very close to that of pile in static loading test.Bearing capacities of piles influenced by surcharge load and uniform soil movement are 2480 kN and 2630 kN,respectively,which are a little greater than that of the pile in static loading test(2400 kN).Soil pressures along pile increase due to surcharge load and uniform soil movement,and so do the shaft resistances along pile,as a result,when rebars in concrete piles are enough,bearing capacity of pile affected by soil displacement increases compared with that of pile in static loading test.

Study of the Hole Wall Soil's Capacity by the Action of the Bearing Device of Rodless Drilling Rig

In order to ensure the bearing device of rodless drilling rig to press stably against the hole wall, it has to analyze the contact between the soil pore wall and the bearing device to study whether the soil pore will shear failure. This paper uses the method to calculate the additional stress of any point in soil mechanics to get the three-dimensional stress state of any point of the soil pore under the support plate, and use the numerical analysis method to calculate the shear stress and its relative intensity. Under the circumstances of maximum torque and maximum pressure, ABAQUS is used to make a finite element analysis of the capacity of the soil pore. The results of numerical analysis and FEA indicate that in the condition of the support plate will not deform; the contact area between the soil pore and the support plate is rectangular; in the force process, the soil under the ends of the support plate have the trend of yield, while it meets the condition of Mohr-Coulomb not to yield generally.

Correlation between the Bearing Capacity of Crude Oil Contaminated Soil of Mgbede and the Percentage Contamination

This study was conducted in Mgbede, River State, Nigeria, hosting up to, or even more than 100 oil wells. It examined the relationship between the bearing capacity of crude oil contaminated soil and the percentage contamination. Four uncontaminated soil samples were randomly collected at 1.5 m depth within the oil field with hand auger and analyzed for the load bearing properties limited to cohesion, angle of internal friction and bulk density. With these parameters, the bearing capacity was determined for each sample. Crude oil, collected from one of the oil wells with viscosity 0.02611 poises at 40~C and specific gravity 0.8227 g/cm3, was used as the contaminant. This was mixed with the soil sample at 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% concentrations. The mean values of the bearing capacity were 582.458 KN/m2, 495.35 KN/m2 for square and strip footings respectively at 0% contamination, 240.735 KN/m2 and 204.753 KN/m2 at 5%, 321.683 KN/m2 and 274.593 KN/m2 at 10%, 127.003 KN/m2 and 109.12 KN/m2 at 15%, 105.28 KN/m2 and 90.758 KN/m2 at 20% for square and strip footings, respectively. The results showed a consistent decrease in the load bearing values as the crude oil content increased. The result of the null hypothesis established a strong and significant relationship between the bearing capacity of crude oil contaminated soil and the percentage contamination.

California Bearing Ratio Test on the Bearing Capacity of a Foundation in Unsaturated Soil

The value of the California bearing ratio (CBR) test is an index making it possible to evaluate the load of the foundation soil and the resistance of the pavement materials. The California Bearing Ratio (CBR) of unsaturated soils is particularly related to their quality. The mechanism affecting the bearing capacity, in the case of California Bearing Ratio (CBR), has been studied as a transformation of red clay for the backfill. In this study, the effect of compaction energy on compaction characteristics and California Bearing Ratio (CBR) values was investigated. The relationship between the CBR value (California Ratio Ratio) and the degree of compaction is characterized by a gradual evolution of unsaturated soils with different water contents. The results show that the compaction degree and California Bearing Ratio (CBR) value of the soil in the cold region are insufficient, but the bearing capacity of the compacted soil after immersion under the maximum dry density can still meet the filling requirements. The red clays tested are considered useful as bedding in areas of unsaturated soils.

Estimation of Undrained Bearing Capacity for Offshore Soft Foundations with Cyclic Load

The degradation strength of soils under cyclic loading is studied and a method for determining the cyclic degradation strength with cyclic triaxial tests is given in the paper. Furthermore, a dum my static method for estimating the undrained bearing capacity for offshore soft foundation under wave loads is developed. It can consider the effect of the difference of cyclic stress for different parts of the foundation on both the degradation strength of the foundation soil and the bearing capacity so that the estimated result can better reflect the real condition of foundation under cyclic loading. The method can be applied to plane and space problem.

Bearing capacity of foundation on slope determined by energy dissipation method and model experiments

To determine the ultimate bearing capacity of foundations on sloping ground surface in practice, energy dissipation method was used to formulate the beating capacity as programming problem, and full-scale model experiments were investigated to analyze the performance of the soil slopes loaded by a strip footing in laboratory. The soil failure is governed by a linear Mohr-Coulomb yield criterion, and soil deformation follows an associated flow rule. Based on the energy dissipation method of plastic mechanics, a multi-wedge translational failure mechanism was employed to obtain the three bearing capacity factors related to cohesion, equivalent surcharge load and the unit gravity for various slope inclination angles. Numerical results were compared with those of the published solutions using finite element method and those of model experiments. The bearing capacity factors were presented in the form of design charts for practical use in engineering. The results show that limit analysis solutions approximate to those of model tests, and that the energy dissipation method is effective to estimate bearing capacity of soil slope.

Characteristic Test Study on Bearing Capacity of Suction Caisson Foundation Under Vertical Load

Suction caisson foundations are often subjected to vertical uplift loads,but there are still no wide and spread engineering specifications on design and calculation method for uplift bearing capacity of suction caisson foundation.So it is important to establish an uplift failure criterion.In order to study the uplift bearing mechanism and failure mode of suction caisson foundation,a series of model tests were carried out considering the effects of aspect ratio,soil permeability and loading mode.Test results indicate that the residual negative pressure at the top of caisson is beneficial to enhance uplift bearing capacity.The smaller the permeability coefficient is,the higher the residual negative pressure will be.And the residual negative pressure is approximately equal to the water head that causes seepage in the caisson.When the load reaches the ultimate bearing capacity,both the top and bottom negative pressures are smaller than Su and both the top and bottom reverse bearing capacity factors are smaller than 1.0 in soft clay.Combined the uplift bearing characteristics of caisson in sandy soil and soft clay,the bearing capacity composition and the calculation method are proposed.It can provide a reference for the engineering design of suction caisson foundation under vertical load.

Study of the Bearing Capacity at the Variable Cross-Section of A Riser- Surface Casing Composite Pile

Reducing the cost of offshore platform construction is an urgent issue for marginal oilfield development.The offshore oil well structure includes a riser and a surface casing.The riser,surface casing and oil well cement can be considered special variable cross-section piles.Replacing or partially replacing the steel pipe pile foundation with a variable cross-section pile to provide the required bearing capacity for an offshore oil platform can reduce the cost of foundation construction and improve the economic efficiency of production.In this paper,the finite element analysis method is used to investigate the variable cross-section bearing mode of composite piles composed of a riser and a surface casing in saturated clay under a vertical load.The calculation formula of the bearing capacity at the variable section is derived based on the theory of spherical cavity expansion,the influencing factors of the bearing capacity coefficient N_(c) are revealed,and the calculation method of N_(c) is proposed.By comparing the calculation results with the results of the centrifuge test,the accuracy and applicability of the calculation method are verified.The results show that the riser composite pile has a rigid core in the soil under the variable cross-section,which increases the bearing capacity at the variable cross-section.

Effect of Bearing Capacity on Designing Foundations in Iraq Using STAAD Pro-v8i

Most of Iraqi soil is classified as Quaternary deposits, especially in the Mesopotamian plain and tributaries of the River Tigris. Soil varies from north to south of Iraq. These differences in soil affected the process to select the suitable type of foundation. This research is to study the effect of bearing capacity on shallow foundations in different regions of Iraq. Seventy nine samples were collected from 23 boreholes at three different locations (Mosul at the North, Baghdad at the middle and Basrah at the south of Iraq). The samples were collected at varying depth between 1 to 24 m. They were subjected to the following testes: Atterberg limits, sieve and hydrometers, consolidation, direct shear, unconfined compression and the filed (SPT test). The values of the bearing capacity parameters ( and c) were obtained from the above tests. The results obtained were used in the application of the general equation of the bearing capacity. Then, the model of a building was designed (two floors, with mat foundation type) using STAAD Pro software. The average values of bearing capacity in each region were applied in the program (Mosul = 177 KPa, Baghdad = 125 KPa and Basrah = 84 KPa). In addition, the worst bearing capacity values were also used for the three regions (Mosul = 77 KPa, Baghdad = 68 KPa and Basrah = 24 KPa). The results obtained from the average and worst bearing capacity indicated that for Mosul, we could use shallow foundation (spread and mat used if there was basement) for different areas and for buildings with many stories. For Baghdad region, shallow foundation was more suitable for building not higher than five stories. Finally, for Basrah region, shallow foundations were an appropriate selection, but for most areas deep foundation was the right choice.

Upper Bound Solution of the Resisting Moment Bearing Capacity of A Composite Bucket Shallow Foundation of An Offshore Wind Turbine in Sand

Bearing the large moment that is generated by the wind load that acts on the upper structure of offshore wind turbines is an important feature of their foundations that is different from other offshore structures.A composite bucket shallow foundation(CBSF)has been proposed by Tianjin University to address the soft geological conditions in the offshore regions of China for wind turbines.The CBSF is a new type of foundation and is effective against large moments.The soil deformation test of a CBSF and the numerical simulation study under the same working conditions are carried out to determine the failure mechanism of a CBSF under moment loading.The resisting soil compression rateηm is defined as a new empirical parameter that indicates the ability of the soil inside the bucket to resist moment loading.The upper limit of the resisting moment bearing capacity of the bucket foundation is derived through the upper bound theorem of classical plasticity theory based on the failure mechanism.The calculation method is validated by tests of bucket models with different height-diameter ratios in sand under moment loading.

Random failure mechanism method for assessment of working platform bearing capacity with a linear trend in undrained shear strength

A bearing capacity evaluation for the surface strip foundation on a working platform modelled on a twolayered substrate is considered in the study.The upper layer is assumed as man-made and wellcontrolled and thus non-variable.The lower layer modelling natural cohesive soil is subjected to spatial variability of undrained shear strength.The random failure mechanism method(RFMM)is used to evaluate the bearing capacity.This approach employs a kinematic assessment of the critical load and incorporates the averaging of three-dimensional(3 D)random field along dissipation surfaces that result from the failure mechanism geometry.A novel version of the approach considering an additional linear trend of undrained shear strength in the spatially variable layer is proposed.The high efficiency of the RFMM algorithm is preserved.The influences of foundation length,trend slope in the spatially variable layer,fluctuation scales,and thickness of the homogenous sand layer on the resulting bearing capacity evaluations are analysed.Moreover,for selected cases,verification of the RFMM based assessment obtained using random finite difference method(RFDM)based on 3 D analysis is provided.Two types of analyses are performed using RFDM based on associated and non-associated flow rules.For associated flow rule which corresponds to RFMM,the RFMM is conservative and efficient and thus it seems preferable.However,if RFDM employs non-associated flow rule(much lower dilation angle for sand layer),the efficient RFMM is no longer conservative.For this situation,a combined approach that improves the efficiency of the numerical method is suggested.

Effect of Fine Content on the Bearing Capacity of Replaced Sand Gravely Subgrad-Field Test

The compacted soil replacement procedure has been widely used worldwide for overcoming the unfavorable actions of some problematic soils,such as expansive,collapsing soils and ground fill.Compaction of the replacement soil is necessary for stabilizing such layer for improving its performance.In this study,gravelly-sand soil,which consists of gravel,sand and fines,is widely used as replacement soil in the field.The effect of fines content on possibly achieved density of such soil is experimentally investigated.A series of laboratory compaction and plate loading tests were carried out on the replaced soil at different fine contents of 0,5,8,10,12 and 15%.The results showed that,the supporting capacity of a replacement soil increases with the increase of its dry density.Therefore,the density of the replacement layer is the major factor controlling its behavior under the effect if external stresses.Compacted sand and gravelly sand are preferred materials when used for soil replacement.They tend to have better engineering properties,if they are placed according to the standard specifications.Another experimental stage of the effect of fines on the bearing capacity of circular footings on gravelly-sand with different percentages of fines was performed.It was found that a fine content of 10%gives the highest dry density,if the soil is compacted according to modified proctor specifications and with the addition of fines,the footing settlement increases and the ultimate bearing carrying capacity decreases.

Bearing capacity and mechanical behavior of CFG pile composite foundation

CFG pile (i.e., pile constructed by granular materials of cement, fly-ash and gravel) composite foundation is applied in subsoil treatment widely and successfully. In order to have a further study of this kind of subsoil treatment technology, the influencing factors and calculation methods of the vertical bearing capacity of single CFG pile and the CFG pile composite foundation were discussed respectively. And based on the obtained solutions, effects by the cushion and measurements to reduce negative friction area were analyzed. Moreover, the developing law of settlement and bearing capacity eigenvalue controlled by the material strength with the increase of load were given for the CFG composite foundation. The in-situ static load test was tested for CFG pile. The results of test show that the maximum test load or half of the ultimate load is used from all the points of test, the average bearing capacity eigenvalue of single pile is 390 kN, and slightly greater than the design value of bearing capacity. The bearing capacity eigenvalues of composite foundation for 3 piles are greater than 300 kPa, and the mechanical properties of CFG pile composite foundation are almost identical in the case of the same load and cushion thickness. The pile-soil stress ratio and the load-sharing ratio can be adjusted through setting up cushion thickness.

Statistical Significance of Reduction in Load Bearing Properties of Crude Oil Contaminated Soil in Kwale, Niger Delta

The Niger Delta has experienced tons of crude oil spill within their environment over the years and its impact on the environment is quite lethal. The soil is a major recipient of this spilled crude. When contaminated with crude oil, the load bearing capacity is consequently affected. This study aimed at providing a statistical evidence to prove that the impact of crude oil contamination on the soil＇s bearing capacity is significant. Four samples of uncontaminated soil of Kwale were collected and analyzed for their load bearing properties： cohesion （c）, angle of internal friction （θ°） and bulk density （γ）. These soil samples were polluted with crude oil in levels of 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% and compared with intact soil. A consistent reduction was observed in the bearing capacity as the crude oil level increased. Using the SPSS （statistically package for social sciences）, the significance was tested at the various contamination levels at a 5% confidence level and the result showed significance at 15% and 20% levels with calculated P-values of 0.038 and 0.035 respectively for both the square and strip foundation footings.

Spatially variable soils affecting geotechnical strip foundation design

Natural soil variability is a well-known issue in geotechnical design,although not frequently managed in practice.When subsoil must be characterized in terms of mechanical properties for infrastructure design,random finite element method(RFEM)can be effectively adopted for shallow foundation design to gain a twofold purpose:(1)understanding how much the bearing capacity is affected by the spatial variability structure of soils,and(2)optimisation of the foundation dimension(i.e.width B).The present study focuses on calculating the bearing capacity of shallow foundations by RFEM in terms of undrained and drained conditions.The spatial variability structure of soil is characterized by the autocorrelation function and the scale of fluctuation(δ).The latter has been derived by geostatistical tools such as the ordinary Kriging(OK)approach based on 182 cone penetration tests(CPTs)performed in the alluvial plain in Bologna Province,Italy.Results show that the increase of the B/δratio not only reduces the bearing capacity uncertainty but also increases its mean value under drained conditions.Conversely,under the undrained condition,the autocorrelation function strongly affects the mean values of bearing capacity.Therefore,the authors advise caution when selecting the autocorrelation function model for describing the soil spatial variability structure and point out that undrained conditions are more affected by soil variability compared to the drained ones.

New Method for Prediction Pile Capacity Executed by Continuous Flight Auger (CFA)

A study of piles is quit complex and the estimation of carrying capacity is calculated from theoretical formula and load test results. The design resistance may be calculated using conventional static pile design theory. The pile founding depths should be predetermined before installation from a site geotechnical investigation. To ascertain the field performance and estimate load carrying capacities of piles, in-situ pile load tests should be conducted. In this study, field pile load test data is analyzed to estimate the ultimate load for end bearing piles. The investigated site is about 100 × 110 m located in Alexandria, Egypt. Geotechnical investigations at the site are carried out to a maximum depth of 45 m. Four borings have been done in field. The tests are conducted at the site for two skelton structure buildings to be constructed on raft foundation rested on piles executed by continuous flight auger. Four pile load tests are performed on 600 mmdiameters and 27 mlengths. Ultimate capacities of piles are determined according to different methods. It is concluded that the percentage of friction load carried by the shaft along the pile length is about 46% of total load while the percentage of load carried by the end bearing is 54% of total load. A new proposed method by the author is presented to calculate the ultimate capacity of pile from pile load test. The proposed method depends on the settlement of pile without taken into consideration the elastic deformation. An empirical formula is presented from the relationship between stress and settlement of pile due to friction and end bearing only after deducting the elastic deformation. However, the obtained results for the ultimate capacity of end bearing piles are considered to be more accurate than other methods. The proposed method appears to give bitter results that agrees well with the theoretical predictions. The proposed method is easier, quicker and more reliable.

Undrained seismic bearing capacity of strip footing adjacent to a heterogeneous excavation

The analysis of the bearing capacity of strip footings sited near an excavation is critical in geotechnics.In this study,the effects of the geometrical features of the excavation and the soil strength properties on the seismic bearing capacity of a strip footing resting on an excavation were evaluated using the lower and upper bounds of the finite element limit analysis method.The effects of the setback distance ratio(L/B),excavation height ratio(H/B),soil strength heterogeneity(kB/cu),and horizontal earthquake coefficient(kh)were analyzed.Design charts and tables were produced to clarify the relationship between the undrained seismic bearing capacity and the selected parameters.